Minoxidil makes my hair sticky

[zdawg]

I'm using a combo of Dr Lee's 15% + Finesteride in the am and the Xandrox Plus in the evening, the problem is the mixtures cause my hairs to stick together (I'm guessing its the propelyne glycol). My hair is medium length, and when completely dry with no minoxidil the thinning of the crown on my head is barely noticeable (unless you're really looking for it). After applying this stuff it basically looks almost like a bald spot b/c the hair sticks together. Anybody else have experience with this, and have a good way around it (other than stopping minoxidil altogether)?

 

[Slartibartfast]

I don't think there's a magic formula to it. About all you can do is first brush your hair, and then take it nice and slow: I've got a nozzle/spray applicator with which I can get the minoxidil cleanly onto the scalp without too much disturbance of hairs - using its tip to spread out the liquid, as fingers (even the little ones) tend to make a right mess of your hair.

Invariably there's some minoxidil left on the applicator's sides after this, so don't forget to wipe it clean before moving onto the next patch.

With a bit of practise you should be able to get past the crown problem. Probably.

 

[casperz]

You might also give Kirklands a shot, it does not contain as much
propylene glycol and it's less sticky. I'm not sure how much
propylene glycol affects results however, I think I read that it helps
with absorbsion. But I've used Kirklands for a year and seem to be getting results.

 

[beaner]

I'm using a combo of Dr Lee's 15% + Finesteride in the am and the Xandrox Plus in the evening, the problem is the mixtures cause my hairs to stick together (I'm guessing its the propelyne glycol). My hair is medium length, and when completely dry with no minoxidil the thinning of the crown on my head is barely noticeable (unless you're really looking for it). After applying this stuff it basically looks almost like a bald spot b/c the hair sticks together. Anybody else have experience with this, and have a good way around it (other than stopping minoxidil altogether)?

Neither solution that you are using contains propylene glycol but contain 20% glycerin which is likely the reason your hair is sticky. With that said, most other generic versions contain 50% propylene glycol, which in my experience is alot messier than the the glycerin based liquids.

If you're going to be using a liquid minoxidil, you may want to consider Lee's regular 5% solution which only contains 30% propylene glycol and dries much quicker than his 15% or any store brands. You could also try using any old 2% version (just use alot of it) which also has a low ppg ratio or Rogaine foam which dries in minutes.

There really is no way around the stickiness (that I can think of) if you chose to continue using the 15% Xandrox solutions.